10,057 backers pledged $1,151,914 to help bring this project to life.
This is a fantastic start to a great campaign to create a new 5E "distribution" that will be out of the control of Wizards. If you stay with Wizards, that's cool, but seeing competition for the game's health is good. This diversity is a good thing, and it ensures a viable commercial published set of rules will be there for 3rd party developers.
- Mid-July – Alpha release PDF sent to Kickstarter backers and put on sale for the public
- Mid to Late July – Caverns of the Spore Lord adventure reward sent to Kickstarter backers as an adventure to accompany the Alpha release and put on sale for the public
And if you missed out, the beta PDF is on sale to the public when it goes live to backers in Mid-July. You can join in the fun when the backers get the beta, which is an excellent and inclusive step for the game.
I like the design goals here:
- Make the rules easier to read, understand, and use.
- Reduce GM burden with encounter-building tools, exploration encounter tools, social encounter tools, and more.
- Rebalance some existing elements, such as feats (now known as talents) and subclasses.
- Provide opportunities for PCs to make meaningful choices throughout every level of play.
- Make spellcasting cooler.
- Keep combat interesting for martial characters.
The OSR part of me screams "Yes!" when they mention exploration rules. I also like eliminating the feat versus ability score choice; you get both. Also, they are editing the rules to be easier to learn, play, and use - something 5E needs desperately.
Do I care they don't have a game master book? I have plenty of excellent 3rd party books like that (Lazy DM's Guide, etc.), and I would like them to focus on the core game and get that right first. A game master book can come later. It is not like the existing DMG for 5E is anything to brag about (being one of the worst DMGs ever published for D&D), so that is a non-book when comparing game editions.
5E has a place. It is superheroic fantasy and many like this genre. The current Wizards version needs to be more balanced, too easy at high levels, and more straightforward in many rules and interactions. Pathfinder 2e is the better game for rules, balance, and organization. For 5E to survive, it needs new blood. It will take a lot of work for 5E to survive another 10 years in its state, even with a 2024 refresh; I'm curious if much will be done to address deep-seated issues.
Another game doing things better is what 5E needs.
But a revisit of 5E by a new team with fresh eyes is a very good thing. Like the Advanced 5E team, a new look at the rules benefits everyone. Wizards lost my support, and I am ready for a change. This happened in 4E, and guess what? D&D survived and got better.
And this is an excellent chance for a change, to give D&D a rest, and to let the current management of Wizards and Hasbro leave and new people be brought in that respect the community. D&D will be fine. You can walk away and play something just like it.
When 6E comes out, I may come back.
But for now, this feels like a Pathfinder 1e-style break from the same old to a new team with new excitement.
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